Portable speakers are a simple way of bringing quality audio into any room of your home. Installation is as easy as plugging them into a wall socket or outlet and connecting them to your wi-fi. Once the speaker appears on the network, you can control them from an app from your smartphone and in most cases, with voice control.
You can add additional smart speakers throughout your home and synch them together and never miss a beat. Companies such as Bluesound, Sonos, WiiM, and others offer a wide variety of speakers so you can add a large speaker to a family room and a smaller less expensive speaker in smaller rooms. They will sync together if they are the same brand. Each speaker can also playback independently.
Users can add portable speakers to the main surround sound system if it’s the same brand. Either as additional surround speakers or to listen to the TV in other rooms, even outside, which is handy for sporting events. You don’t have to miss a play.
Quality matters in audio, especially speakers. You’ll likely find yourself listening more if it sounds good. We put together a list of smart speakers that will likely make you want to listen. When I walk into my listening room and glance at my audio rig, it makes me want to hear it, you’ll see.
Sonos Era 100 Speaker: $219
- Color options: black or white
- Play from wi-fi, Bluetooth, or wired line-in
- Speaker control: touch panel, Sonos app, Sonos voice control, Alexa, directly from music app i.e., Spotify
- Sonos Trueplay: tuning technology optimizes speaker based on your room’s acoustics
- Humidity resistant
Samsung Music Studio 5 Smart Speaker: $298
- Black only
- Wireless music streaming via Wi-fi or Bluetooth
- Wireless Dolby Atmos
- Q-symphony
- Dot designed by French artist Erwan Bouroullec
- Very attractive design for any décor
- Spacefit Sound Pro: technology that analyzes your space and adjusts the audio for clarity and immersion
- Spotify Tap
- Samsung Sound App for setup and control
Morel BIGGIE: $299
- Several color options: black, aqua frost, midnight blue, denim sky, white, olive green, red, and walnut
- Two-way speaker design: at this price point speakers often contain only one full-range speaker providing less detail and sparkle
- High-end speaker drivers: 4-inch woofer and 1-inch soft dome tweeter
- Bluetooth 5.3 music streaming and control – up to 165 feet
- 60-watts
- Five front panel controls
- Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
WiiM Sound: $299
- Gorgeous visual design
- Black or white
- 1.8” color touch screen
- User-friendly WiiM app for control
- Can be part of a WiiM wireless multi-room streaming system
- AI Roomfit room correction
- Bluetooth 5.3 2-way
- One 4-inch woofer and two 1-inch soft-dome tweeters
- 100-watts
- No Apple Airplay 2 support
Tivoli Audio Model Two Digital: $350
- Three color combinations: black/black, white/silver, walnut/gold
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Built-in Wi-fi for music streaming
- Supports Apple Airplay 22 and Google Chromecast
- Two-way speaker design: one 3.5-inch full-range driver and one .75-inch tweeter
- Aluminum grill and real wood veneer cabinet
- Front panel control knob and LED light
Bluesound Pulse Flex: $379
- Three color combinations: tan/white, charcoal/black, pebble grey/white
- Compact design
- 50-watts
- Two-way speaker design: one 4-inch woofer and one .75-inch tweeter
- Excellent BluOS app for control and streaming
- Supports Apple Airplay 2
- Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD
- Top panel push button controls
- Optional wall-mount or floor stand
Samsung Music Studio 7: $498
- Black only
- Spacious 3.1.1-channel sound
- Five speaker drivers and wide dispersion
- Wireless music streaming via Wi-fi or Bluetooth 6.0
- Wireless Dolby Atmos
- Q-symphony
- Dot designed by French artist Erwan Bouroullec
- HDMI ARC for TV listening
- Spacefit Sound Pro: technology that analyzes your space and adjusts the audio for clarity and immersion
- Spotify Tap
- Samsung Sound App for setup and control
JBL Authentics 500: $750
- Seven total drivers
- 270-watts
- Driver array: three 1-inch tweeters, three 2.75-inch midranges, and one 6.5-inch down-firing subwoofer
- Bluetooth 5.3 and built-in Wi-Fi
- Apple Airplay 2 support
- Rear filling JBL Slipstream bass ports
- Aluminum frame and Quadrex grill
- Auto tune audio calibration
- Intuitive JBL One app
Bluesound Pulse 2i: $999
- Bluesound’s flagship speaker
- Black or white
- Excellent BluOS app for music streaming and setup
- Supports Apple Airplay 2
- 150-watts
- Two 5.25-inch woofer and two 1-inch tweeters
- Qualcomm aptX HD
- Headphone output
- Simple top panel touch controls
- IR remote learning capability
- Control it with the optional Bluesound RC1 Remote Controller
- Moisture-resistant sealed enclosure
McIntosh RS150 Speaker: $1,200
- Traditional McIntosh design features a clear glass front panel with an illuminated blue meter
- Hi-Res DAC
- Two-way speaker design: one 5.25-inch polypropylene long-throw woofer and .75-inch titanium dome tweeter
- Built-in dual band Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 5.2 aptX HD
- Front-Panel Controls and LED Meter
- Supports Apple Airplay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Spotify HiFi, TIDAL Connect, and Roon
- Great conversation piece
Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation: S1,990
- Top mounted touch-sensitive control dial and buttons
- High-resolution playback up to 24-bit/384Hz
- Six total speakers: two 1-inch silk-dome tweeter, two 2.75-inch midranges, and two 5.25-inch oval woofers
- 450-watts
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Supports Apple Airplay 2
- HDMI ARC for TV listening – will embarrass most soundbars
- Handheld remote control
- DSP controlled class-D amplifiers with room compensation
- Aluminum vibration-resistant ported casing
- Maybe too large for kitchen-counter location
- Very resolving sonics
Devialet Phantom I 108dB Opéra de Paris: $3,999
- ACE (Active Cospherical Engine): dramatically optimizes the way sound waves form and spread – evenly and in all directions
- 1,100-watts
- Devialet app for control
- Built-in Wi-Fi for music streaming
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Apple Airplay 2 support
- Handheld remote control
- Two side-firing bass drivers, 1 aluminum midrange, and 1 titanium tweeter
- Great conversation piece
- Ultra-modern aesthetics may not be for everyone
Final Thoughts
The smart speaker market is loaded with products so making the right choice isn’t so easy. The list we compiled above has recommended products at all price points above $200. We haven’t found a smart speaker we liked under $200.
Based on my experience, if a speaker sounds bad, it becomes a dust collector. For many, the sound is so bad, it’s not worth opening the app.
Each speaker on our list was selected after our extensive research combined with our general knowledge about the industry. These are all sound focused designs from reliable audio companies.
Generally, these smart speakers have a reputation for being easy to use. There will always be glitches and we exclude products with a history of being difficult to use, even if the sound was stellar. The speaker will not get used if it’s not user-friendly.
This was a fun article to write because we always want our readers to know what is available and worth your hard-earned money.
Most of these are perfect for the kitchen and some can be part of a surround sound system.
If you are in the market for a simple music solution, download the app and choose your favorite. The user interface is just as important as the aesthetics and sound.
Listen to the music…
